Religions of the World

This chapter is designed to provide a background acquaintance with at least some of the religions of the world. In the next chapter we begin to discuss issues in philosophy of religion proper. By providing a description of some of the various religions of the world, this chapter gives us a common background for our discussion of the problems and issues addressed by philosophy of religion. Many of us are familiar with some religion, as many of us belong to some particular religion. Some of us may be acquainted with two religions because members of our family belong to different religions. Probably most of us have little acquaintance with more than one religion. And some of us may be unacquainted with any religion at a personal level. A good portion of our discussion in this book addresses those religions in which belief in God is central, the theistic religions, though the book is not limited to that area. In fact, our understanding of how some of the issues in philosophy of religion relate differently to different religions will enhance our understanding of these issues, and at least one of the issues discussed—the issue of the relationship between religions—requires us to bring into relief contrasting features of the religions of the world.